Award winning filmmakers Ben Sharrock and Irune Gurtubai are currently on location in North and South Uist shooting their latest feature film Limbo.
Limbo tells the story of refugees waiting on a fictional Scottish Island to be granted asylum. The plot focuses on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by the weight of his grandfather’s oud, a traditional stringed instrument, which he has carried all the way from his homeland.
The cast features Amir El-Masry who has previously appeared in Jack Ryan, The State and The Night Manager, as well as Vikash Bhai, Ola Erbiyi and Kwabena Ansah. Real-life refugees from communities across Scotland will also appear as extras in the film.
Written and directed by Ben Sharrock, the film is produced by Irune Gurtubai of Caravan Cinema, alongside Angus Lamont. The executive producers are Julia Oh for Film4, Ross McKenzie for Screen Scotland and David Segal-Hamilton and Lizzie Francke for the BFI. Financing comes from Film4, Screen Scotland and the BFI.
Ben Sharrock, a graduate of the MA Film (in Directing) and the MFA Advanced Film Practice (2014) at Screen Academy Scotland, Edinburgh Napier also directed Pikadero, his first feature, which won the prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2016. The film went on to win multiple awards internationally. Irune Gurtubai also a graduate of the MA Film (in Producing) and the MFA Advanced Film Practice (2014) produced Pikadero.
Ben and Irune’s graduate short film for Screen Academy Scotland Patata Tortilla, which was a trailer for Pikadero, also won multiple BAFTA New Talent awards.
Other Screen Academy graduates working on Limbo include editor Karel Dolak (MFA Advanced Film Practice) and MA Film graduate Sean Hind who is working as floor runner.
London-based sales outfit Protagonist Pictures has taken world rights to Limbo. The shoot on The Uists in the Outer Hebrides will last for 5 weeks.